Friends Influence Weight Loss

How many of your friends influence what you eat and how you exercise or personal train? Friends may have our backs, but their health and fitness habits can literally shape our backsides. How do friends help—or hurt—your healthy habits? Learn more from St. Louis personal trainers.

The desire to copy people close to us is thought to enhance bonding and act as a social superglue. When we mimic each other’s eating behaviors, we form positive, subconscious bonds with our dining companions. What people do, rather than what they think, may be why obesity flourishes among friends.

The average person makes over 200 food decisions every day. Deciding what and where to eat are just two pieces of the dining puzzle—the other is with whom. Commiserating with pals or engaging in animated conversation over a tasty meal is often good therapy, but it can lead to distracted dining. Focusing on the conversation rather than the food often results in overeating. Also, those who eat together subconsciously model each other’s eating styles. Normally light eaters consume more when munching with a group, while heavier eaters eat less when dining with companions. If you want to lose weight, you may find it easier if you hang out with friends who eat healthfully and exercise or do personal training together.

Hitting the Gym With a Friend
Motivating yourself to exercise can be challenging. Did you know that non-exercisers are more likely to get moving and stick with activity programs if supportive friends are involved? As a whole, social influence is positively associated with exercise behaviors, intentions and attitudes. A recent study explored social encouragement, which focused on positive reinforcement and statements such as “people important to me encourage me to exercise.” Positive social encouragement like this improved exercise motivation, but social constraint or negative reinforcement reflected in statements like “people will be disappointed in me if I quit exercising” were not helpful. Surrounding yourself with positive pals may keep you moving in the right direction. Or try to get a friend together for a personal training session. And your Clayton, MO personal trainer will like that!

Workplace Weight Gain
The workplace can be a minefield for people trying to shed pounds. Desktop candy jars and office celebrations provide a steady stream of sugary indulgence that can sabotage the most strident dieter’s efforts.

While coffee breaks and corporate parties can foster camaraderie, they entice mindless eating. Here are a few tips for taming workplace temptation:

Put a lid on goodies. Covering them with foil or a lid will curb mindless munching.
View the veggies: Leave these uncovered to promote healthier grazing.
When dining with a co-worker, split large portions.
Socialize and celebrate without food.
Limit happy-hour drinks/alcohol.
Avoid desktop dining.
Limit the “office feeder” influence.
Set an example: Bring in healthier snacks like fresh fruit, and replace the candy with dried fruit or nuts.
Support co-workers who are trying to lose weight.
Get a co-worker together for a personal training session.

For more information on how friends impact weight loss, contact Maurie Cofman, AHFS, CES, TBMM-CES, Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist in the St. Louis, Brentwood, and Clayton, MO area.